Client: Local Alcohol Partnerships Group / UK Home Office

Project: Local Alcohol Action Areas 2 Programme Support

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What were MAKE asked to do?

The Local Alcohol Partnerships Group (LAPG) includes a range of night-time economy and alcohol harm reduction organisations including, amongst others, the drinks responsibly body The Portman Group, PubWatch, Best Bar None, Drinkaware, Purple Flag. The LAPG asked to support it on the Home Office’s Local Alcohol Action Area Programme to provide expertise to areas suffering from challenges around alcohol related crime or vulnerability. In particular, given our expertise in safe spaces, we were asked to help three safe spaces in particular solve the specific challenges they faced.

How did MAKE do it?

  • We visited Swansea, Weston and Romford and undertook observation research sessions in the safe spaces until 4 or 5am. 

  • We conducted focus groups and interviews with practitioners, politicians, police and customers of these safe spaces and their host cities. 

  • We reviewed their operating procedures, governance structures, marketing and data collection methods against the MAKE UK National Safe Space Toolkit we developed previously. 

  • We made recommendations to each scheme about how they might tackle one of their key problems and then worked with them to implement the solution.  

  • We captured the learnings from each location, and this was published as a series of case studies by the Home Office.  

What happened next?

Each scheme implemented the recommendations with Swansea relocating its service to be more effective in attracting users, Weston implemented new data collection methods on their MAVIS bus that produced more accurate evaluation of its impact and Romford built a business case for the use of a disused railway arch as part of Crossrail. 

What unique value did MAKE bring to this project?

Because of our safe space knowledge, we were able to offer consultancy that identified quick wins to help build momentum behind the projects or clear blockages that had been preventing the schemes moving forward. All the schemes are in a stronger position than before the LAAA programme.